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OU men's basketball: Sooners looking to improve over two games in Kansas City

Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger, left, said the Sooners need to put together a solid first half. The Sooners have struggled early in their games, before coming around in the second half to win. Oklahoma takes on fellow unbeaten Stanford on Monday. [Sarah Phipps/The Oklahoman]

NORMAN — The Sooners hit the road again this week for a two-game stretch in Kansas City, Missouri, before Thanksgiving.

While Oklahoma is undefeated so far this men's basketball season, the team has room to improve, and the next two games give the Sooners opportunities to grow. One improvement the Sooners are looking to make is to string together a complete game.

So far this season, the Sooners have struggled to get going in the first half, but their second half performances have allowed them to win. Coach Lon Kruger said it’s something the team talks about, and they try to tackle the problem by focusing on getting more significant possessions.

“We've obviously strung together better possessions in the second half than the first,” Kruger said. “We'll keep searching for ways to get something similar in the first half.”

Oklahoma's first test of the week will come Monday when it takes on Stanford, another undefeated team.

Last week, the Sooners and the Cardinal faced the same two opponents, William & Mary and Maryland Eastern Shore. When Oklahoma is watching film on Stanford, it will have some familiarity with the opponents, but, beyond that, Kruger said it doesn’t have a big impact on preparation.

After the Stanford game, Oklahoma will play either Butler or Missouri. If the Sooners beat Stanford, they will play the winner of the Bulldogs and the Tigers in the Hall of Fame championship game. If they lose to Stanford, they will play the other loser for third place. The second round games will be on Tuesday, meaning Oklahoma will play in back-to-back games for the first time this season.

“You don't do that very often, of course, except in the tournament in the non-conference and the postseason tournament,” Kruger said. “It's a good opportunity to see how we adjust on the fly.”

Over the next two games, Kruger said he is looking for his team to be more consistent on offense. The Sooners’ defense has been more consistent, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t work to do all around, Kruger said.

“Obviously five games into it, we have to improve across the board,” Kruger said. “Probably more on the offensive end. We've moved the ball, we've made shots, obviously, we get better results.”

Abby Bitterman

Abby Bitterman covers OU athletics for The Oklahoman. She joined The Oklahoman in September 2019 to cover high school sports. A Chicago native, Abby graduated from the University of Oklahoma in May of 2019 with degrees in journalism and political...
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